LEGISLATIVE WATCH

by Don Helms

As responsible gun owners we must understand and become participants in the political Arena. The majority of legislators in this country are career politicians (Most are Attorneys) who strive to stay in political office.Fortunately Pennsylvania is a relatively gun-friendly state with a majority of Republican legislators. But as gun owners striving to protect our rights under the Second Amendment we have to realize that we have many Democratic adversaries who are determined to disarm the citizens of our country.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has 253 members, consisting of a Senate with 50 members and a House of Representatives with 203 members, making it the second-largest state legislature in the nation and the largest full-time legislature. As of 2014, members' base pay was $85,356, making it the costliest state legislature per capita in the U.S. Republicans hold a 34-16 majority in the Senate and a 120-83 majority in the House.

Every member of Hopewell Fish and Game Association needs to be committed to developing a relationship with their representatives in Pennsylvania and Washington DC.

When we are alerted to legislative issues that need our attention we should let our legislators know our opinions. Legislators do respond to contact from their constituents. Studies show that legislators believe that from every constituent they hear from that constituent affects 10 votes.

Contacting our legislators is one part of the equation but having the ability to do it quickly and efficiently is paramount. This can be done in two ways, one is to develop a legislative email group to put out legislative alerts and the other is to develop a phone tree to put out massive phone calls in a short amount of time.

The email group alerts many members with one message at the push of a button. The phone tree is a bit more work but quite effective. Members receive a phone call concerning a specific legislative issue. The members then contact 5 additional members with the information. This process continues until all members are notified.

To become part of the legislative process contact me at the following:hfgadon@gmail.com443-876-2330Don Helms